Distributed range & status
They are found in West, north south coast of Sri Lanka such as Panadura, Kalamatiya, Kalutara, Kalpitiya, Kandakuliya, Rakawa, Wasskaduwa, Bundala, Moratuwa, Kumana. Indian Ocean (Persian Gulf, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Iran, Pakistan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, China, New Guinea), New Caledonia/Loyalty Islands
Scales
rostral |
beak like |
frontal |
|
supraoculars |
|
parietals |
|
prefrontals |
Smaller than nasals |
nasals |
Touches one another |
internasals |
absent |
loreals |
absent |
preoculars |
1 |
postoculars |
1-2 |
temporals |
1+1 (anterior scale is larger & connects with 6 supralabial) |
Supralabials |
6-8 (3-5 touches the eye) |
mental |
|
infralabials |
Between them cuneate scales are found |
sublinguals |
|
coastals |
|
ventrals |
270-373 distinct throughout, about twice as broad as adjacent body scales |
anal |
Anterior anal is large |
subcaudals |
|
Scales on thickest part of body presence of rounded or pointed tips, imbricate; 25-31 scale rows around neck. 33-38 around mid body (increase from neck to mid body 4-8); scales are either smooth or keeled.
Characteristics
Head & neck are rather slender, compared to the rest of the body. The body is very long & becomes thicker towards the posterior. Neck is indistinct. Head is large. . They have a laterally flattened paddle like tail. Hemipenis free end is divided. Except for the free end other parts of it are spinous.
Colour
Dorsal body & forehead is olive-yellowish or olive-brown. The dorsal scales are edged with black. 35-50 narrow black bands encircle the body. The bands usually less than 1/3 the width of the lighter interspaces. The head in young black with yellow horseshoe-shaped marking, in adult head usually yellow. Sides are yellowish cream & ventral body is yellow. Dark brown tail tip is present.
Venom
They are highly venomous snakes but a death has never been recorded from Sri Lanka. After bitten the area of the wound gets swollen, & pain occurs with lymphatic lumps.
Dentition
There are 6-7 maxillary teeth behind fangs.
Behavior
They are very energetic strong swimmers. They some times are known in groups. Mostly found are males. They are seen on the surface of the deep sea to heat them selves.
Breeding
It’s an ovoviviparous snake & about 5-14 off spring are produced at a time in the sea.
Growth
This is perhaps the longest species of sea snake (up to 2750 mm). At birth it measures up to 400mm & grows to a total length males 1620 mm, females 1830 mm; tail length males 140 mm, females 120 mm.
Food
Their diet comprises of fish & mainly eels.
Identification
This snake has a yellow body with black bands. Posteriorly inter spaces of these bands is as twice or trice as much as the width of the bands.
|
